Can you get a sore throat from your dentist?

[Katherine]

I feel absolutely awful today. Since Saturday night I've had the most horrendous sore throat I haven't been able to sleep because of it. Last night I had a temperature too and this morning I struggled to get my kids off to school (fortunatly my neighbour took them for me )

I can't ever remember having a throat like this before. My DH gets them and is always trying to get me to look down his throat to see if he has spots on his tonsils. I don't have any tonsils but this morning because it was so bad I took a peep. When I opened my mouth I could see the red creeping up to the roof of my mouth, I then used a torch and held my tongue down with a toothbrush and its horrendous down there. Red raw - no wonder it hurts.

Anyway I feel I'm labouring on a bit here but the reason for this post was because I can't figure out where I've got it. Yes there are bugs around but I don't know anyone with a throat like this. I thought throats like this were bacterial - streptococcus - and I just wondered if there was a connection to my visit to my dentist at the end of last week. Just seems odd that I would come down with this.

Oh probably not. I'm just feeling so fed up I want to point the finger at someone. I'm off on holiday on Friday too - have tried salt water gargles. Am about to embark on lemon and honey!

Sorry to read you're feeling so rough. Have you contacted your GP yet?. It may need antibiotics to clear it completely if this is bacterial in nature.

I don't think you're going to be able to pin it on any one person I am sorry to say. It could have been something you touched outdoors (cross infection) or someone sneezed and the virus found it's host (i.e you) that way.

I still get colds occasionally but one thing I have found helpful is to immediately wash hands upon returning home.

Hope you feel better soon.

Dentists wear disposable latex gloves these days, don't they? Mine does anyway. So unless you snogged him I doubt it. I think you should see your GP - sounds worse than viral (ie., having a temperature) and you may need antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon - sore throats are the pits.

Snogging my dentist!!!!!! The mind boggles. I was thinking more along the lines of them not sterilising properly. But I do realise its probably nothing to do with that and I'm just unlucky to have got it. Hopefully it will be short lived.